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Tuesday, June 19, 2018
'The New Falls Low View Cam Goes Live:' The new Falls Low View cam went live at 09:11 streaming on the Brooks Falls cam feed. Cam viewer SnowBear was the first to post about it!: "We're live!!!!!!!!!! Falls are live!!!! Eeeeee!!!!" 2018.06.19 09.11 SNOWBEAR COMMENT WERE LIVE FALLS ARE LIVE.JPG|Cam viewer SnowBear's June 19, 2018 09:11 comment: "We're live!!!!!!!!!! Falls are live!!!! Eeeeee!!!!" The new Falls Low View cam has pan, tilt, zoom capabilities. This cam will broadcast instead of the former River Watch cam view. 'First Bear Observed on Bearcam in 2018 Season:' At 14:26 cam viewer abcayemich was the first cam viewer to comment about the first bear to be observed on the bearcams after the Falls Low View cam went live this morning. 2018.06.19 14.26 & 14.27 FLV ABCAYEMICH COMMENTS & PIC.JPG|Abcayemich's June 19, 2018 14:26 & 14:27 snapshot and comment about the first bear of the 2018 to be observed on the bearcams since the the Falls Low View cam first went live this morning. Deelynnd captured this video : 'Mike Fitz, Explore Bearcam Fellow Comments:' Mike Fitz commented at 14:55 : "Bearcam is back! Please BEAR with us while we work through technical glitches as the cam goes live. We may go in and out of highlights/sound but know that our wonderful tech team is on it. Thanks for your patience and we can't wait to see which bear butt we see first! Have you asked your #bearcam question? Submit your questions at: Ask Your Bearcam Question While the volume of questions will likely prevent us from answering all of them, Katmai’s rangers and I will try to provide answers through blog posts, comments here in the chat, or during live video chats. Here are my answers to a few of the questions submitted so far. Bob: “Will there ever be a collar program to follow the bears when not on camera and to study where they den?” While I can’t say this will never happen, it’s unlikely, especially in the near future. We might not know the exact location where specific bears from Brooks River hibernate, but biologists have a generally good understanding and knowledge of bear denning habitat throughout the park. Importantly, since Katmai is largely undeveloped the bears here experience less conflict with people compared to smaller grizzly populations in parts of British Columbia, Alberta, and the Lower 48 states. Many of the tracking studies done in those areas aim to glean more insight into the seasonal movements of bears to help managers lessen conflict between bears and people. The most recent tracking study in Katmai was the Changing Tides project (https://www.nps.gov/katm/le... ), a multi-year study to investigate the unique link between the terrestrial and the near-shore environments, specifically between coastal brown bears and intertidal invertebrates. Placing collars on bears is also expensive and invasive. While the biologists who do it are very skilled, there is risk to bears and people in collaring operations. Since Brooks River is such an important place to view and photograph bears, managers in the past have also decided that collaring bears here would have a negative impact on the wildlife-viewing experience. Of course, these reasons are subject to change. Biologists and managers may discover a need to collar bears at Brooks River, but it’s not in any current plans. Carol Loveless: “Last year as well as this year Brooks Falls has a very high number of subadults. Do they tend to socialize together and if so why?” Subadult bears are young, independent bears generally between 2.5 and 5.5 years old. Although I’m unaware of any study that empirically documents the frequency of play in bears, my observations indicate younger bears are more likely to play than older bears. In particular, once a bear reaches 10 years old, it unlikely to engage in any play behavior (although there are notable exceptions). As an age class, subadult bears are more likely to associate with other similarly aged bears than adults. This may be a product of their maturation process. As cubs, they socialize a lot with their mother and siblings. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to presume that this provides cubs with a level of comfort they don’t find when they are weaned and become independent. Play also helps them gain strength and coordination. As they mature bears seem to need to play less often, so perhaps they’re more comfortable living in solitude with increasing age. Carol: “When the bears come out of the den in the spring before the salmon start their run I know they eat vegetation before the real food and calories become available. Has the area around their dens ever had a 'die out' similar to bamboo die outs that pandas have had to deal with over the years? Would that drive them out of the range of the river or would they just eat small animals and wait for fish of any kind?” Springtime is a challenging season for Katmai bears. The landscape remains largely frozen and there’s very little food available. By late spring, tender grasses and sedges are widespread across the Alaska Peninsula. These are important springtime food sources for bears, but none of these plants have experienced large die offs recently. Even on this diet of vegetation, many bears continue to lose weight until the salmon arrive. Smaller bears can start to gain back lost body mass on this vegetarian diet, but Katmai’s biggest bears can’t eat and digest enough grass or sedge to start to gain weight again. The biggest bears must rely on other food sources. When bears get fat on salmon, they’re eating to survive winter hibernation and the lean months of spring. The first bears you’ll see on the cams will be at their thinnest body size of the year, and the grass that they eat while waiting for salmon is often just part of a starvation diet. Below: Photo of grass-filled bear scat, a common sight at Brooks River in June. (grass-filled bear scat photo only link ): MIKE FITZ COMMENT 2018.06.19 14.55 GRASS-FILLED BEAR SCAT PHOTO ONLY.jpg|Mike Fitz' June 19, 2018 14:55 comment ~ grass-filled bear scat (photo only) Sophia: “How long and to what age can a male bear like Otis impregnate a female. Is Otis too old now? He mated with a couple of sows last season, just wondering.” Biologists have observed evidence of reproductive senescence in some older (>25 years old) female brown bears. However, I’m not sure if this has been studied in male brown bears. At about 22 years old, 480 Otis is the oldest known male brown bear at Brooks River, but he was seen mating with an unidentified female (perhaps #289 although the photos are inconclusive) last summer. Competition from younger, larger bears is more likely to prevent Otis from mating than any sort of age-related infertility. The brown bear mating season is short, generally peaking in June and ending by mid to late July. During this time, not all female bears are receptive to mating so males have limited opportunities to sire offspring. Dominant bears must defend access to potentially receptive females. Less dominant bears (due to a smaller size or less assertive disposition) are shoved aside. 480 Otis’ seems to rank the middle of the hierarchy of adult males in the Brooks River area, so it’s quite possible, and maybe likely, that a more dominant bear could push him away from a female before he gets the chance to mate with her. Vanessa: “Friends were recently in Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and saw several black bear cubs Do all types of bears have the same birthing and parenting techniques?” The parenting techniques and skills of mother bears vary considerably. Bear moms all share an instinct to care for and nurture their cubs, yet they go about it in different ways depending on their individual knowledge and experience. At Brooks River, for example, some mothers (402 and 128) bring their cubs to the falls at any age, while others (435 and 409) largely avoid the falls with first year cubs. 435 Holly and 409 Beadnose, however, will bring yearling (1.5 year-old) cubs to the falls. You can observe other parental differences too. Some mothers like 128 Grazer are very protective , while others show more tolerance. Bearcam allows us to see wild bears as individuals, offering the opportunity to witness some amazing behavioral differences. Patricia (Submitted at 10:11 a.m. Alaska Time, June 19, 2018): “When does the cam go live at Brooks Falls?” Well, Patricia… You asked at the perfect time. The cams are live now! Bearcam 2018 is here!" '854 Divot is the 1st Identifiable Bear Observed on the Live Cams This Season:' At 16:21 LaniH spots a bear coming down the path on the North side of the river. The bear turns out to be 854 Divot. 2018.06.19 16.21 FLV 854 DIVOT COMING DOWN PATH LANIH DOC.JPG|LaniH's June 19, 2018 16:21 comment: "Bear far side coming down path" 2018.06.19 16.23 FLV 854 ABCAYEMICH 01 w COMMENT.JPG|Cam viewer, abcayemich, captures and posts the first snapshot of 854 Divot. Abcayemich's June 19, 2018 16:23 comment with snapshot of 854 Divot. 2018.06.19 16.23 FLV 854 ABCAYEMICH 01.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:23 snapshot by Abcayemich 2018.06.19 16.23 FLV 854 ABCAYEMICH 02.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:23 snapshot by Abcayemich 2018.06.19 16.23 FLV 854 BEARZ61.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:23 snapshot by Bearz61 2018.06.19 16.23 FLV 854 KASIA.png|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:23 snapshot by Kasia 2018.06.19 16.23 FLV 854 OKEYDOKEY.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:23 snapshot by Okeydokey 2018.06.19 16.24 FLV 854 BEARZ61 01.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:24 snapshot by Bearz61 2018.06.19 16.24 FLV 854 BEARZ61 02.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:24 snapshot by Bearz61 2018.06.19 16.24 FLV 854 GMaJ.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:24 snapshot by GrandmaJ 2018.06.19 16.24 FLV 854 IVYMOSS.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:24 snapshot by Ivymoss 2018.06.19 16.25 FLV 854 ABCAYEMICH 01.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:25 snapshot by Abcayemich 2018.06.19 16.25 FLV 854 ABCAYEMICH 02.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:25 snapshot by Abcayemich 2018.06.19 16.25 FLV 854 ABCAYEMICH 03.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:25 snapshot by Abcayemich 2018.06.19 16.25 FLV 854 KASIA.png|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:25 snapshot by Kasia 2018.06.19 16.25 FLV 854 LANIH.png|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:25 snapshot by LaniH 2018.06.19 16.25 FLV 854 LOVETHEBEARS1.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:25 snapshot by LoveTheBears1 2018.06.19 16.25 FLV 854 MAZEY.png|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:25 snapshot by Mazey 2018.06.19 16.25 FLV 854 NSBOAK.png|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:25 snapshot by NSBoak 2018.06.19 16.26 FLV 854 ABCAYEMICH.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:26 snapshot by Abcayemich 2018.06.19 16.26 FLV 854 BEARZ61.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:26 snapshot by Bearz61 2018.06.19 16.26 FLV 854 GMaJ.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:26 snapshot by GrandmaJ 2018.06.19 16.26 FLV 854 MAZEY.png|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:26 snapshot by Mazey 2018.06.19 16.27 FLV 854 BEARZ61.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:27 snapshot by Bearz61 2018.06.19 16.28 FLV 854 MOON RIVER.png|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:28 snapshot by Moon River 2018.06.19 16.31 FLV 1st BEAR BUTT OF SEASON LARINOR.jpg|854 Divot June 19, 2018 16:31 snapshot by Larinor ~ 1st bear butt of the season Cheryl Burnside (aka Bearnecesseties) created this video of 854 Divot: Martina created this video of 854 Divot: Margaret Saint Clair (aka Marg SC) created this video of 854 Divot: Mike Fitz commented at 16:40 that he agrees with the ID of 854 Divot as the bear observed on the Falls Low View cam: "Nice screen capture. Based on that view, I'd agree with you and say we're looking at 854 Divot. The fur color, size, facial profile, and scar around her neck all match. For comparison, here's a photo of 854 Divot on June 24, 2015 . If you're not familiar with 854 Divot, check out pages 62-63 in the Bears of Brooks River book: Link to the Bears of Brooks River book . Divot has a long and varied history at the river to say the least." MIKE FITZ COMMENT 2018.06.19 16.40 AGREES w ID OF 854 DIVOT OBSERVED 2018.06.19 16.21.JPG|Mike Fitz' June 19, 2018 16:40 comment re: agrees with ID of 854 Divot MIKE FITZ COMMENT 2018.06.19 16.40 PHOTO OF 854 DIVOT FROM 2015.06.24.jpg|854 Divot June 24, 2015 from Mike Fitz with his June 19, 2018 16:40 comment 'Ranger Jeanne Comments:' Ranger Jeanne commented at 19:44 about a subadult she observed and photographed that walked below the Brooks Falls Wildlife Viewing Platform: "This subadult just walked below the Falls Platform." RANGER JEANNE COMMENT 2018.06.19 19.44 SUBADULT WALKED BELOW BF PLATFORM.JPG|Ranger Jeanne's June 19, 2018 19:44 comment: "This subadult just walked below the Falls Platform." RANGER JEANNE COMMENT 2018.06.19 19.44 SUBADULT WALKED BELOW BF PLATFORM PIC ONLY.jpg|Ranger Jeanne's June 19, 2018 19:44 comment: "This subadult just walked below the Falls Platform." (photo only) 'Mike Fitz' Explore.org Blog: The Mouth of Brooks River:' Mike Fitz' Explore.org blog: The Mouth of Brooks River Photo Only Links: Photo #1 , Photo #2 , Photo #3 , & Photo #4 Near the outlet of Brooks River the “lower river,” as its commonly called, is perhaps the most variable and diverse place seen on the bearcams. The lower river cams provide expansive views, colorful sunrises and sunsets, as well as the opportunity to see many yearly and seasonal changes. The lower river cameras are positioned on the south side of the Brooks River, just upstream of the river’s outlet. In early spring, before Naknek Lake has swelled with snowmelt and rain, extensive gravel bars and spits border the river mouth. Waves pile gravel in some areas and erode it away from others. Summer and fall storms rework these deposits like sand on a barrier island, making the river mouth one of the more rapidly evolving areas you’ll see on bearcams. Since last fall, a spit on river right (as you look downstream) has lengthened upstream toward the cameras, while fingers of gravel almost corral the river where it empties into the lake. On the far (north) side of the river mouth, a new gravel bar is forming. An older, taller gravel bar near the trees on that side is migrating too, just slowly inland as it fills a small lagoon. Upstream of the bridge, the river continues to reshape its path to the lake. It meanders widely now, but it’s also slowly straightening. The major bends in the river carry less water than a decade ago as more and more water begins to take a direct path downstream. An old oxbow near Brooks Lodge has little water flowing through it, while a channel directly north of the cam has growth significantly. In time, perhaps within a few years, the lower river will temporarily abandon its wide meanders and take a more direct route to the lake through what are now only small channels. In early summer, the lower river area can be a difficult place for bears to fish. When salmon first arrive, they are energetic and swift swimmers. Without a barrier to impede their migration, they avoid hungry bears more often than not. If, however, relatively low water levels coincide with high densities of schooling salmon, as they did in July 2017, then bears may be able to fish here successfully. Later in summer, we’ll see Naknek Lake slowly rise and flood much of the lower river area. Most of the exposed gravel will disappear and become preferred fishing and resting areas for brown bears seeking dead and dying salmon in September and October. On the lower river cams, pay attention to the gravel. It tells a story about past and future changes. By July, watch to see hungry bears seeking their first salmon meals of the year. In late summer and fall, the lower river cams provide an exceptional opportunity to witness the bears’ last attempts to gain weight before winter hibernation. The most diverse habitats along Brooks River are located at the river mouth. While Brooks Falls receives the bulk of the public’s attention, the lower river is even more dynamic. 'LaniH's June 19, 2018 Google Doc & Daily Summary:' 'LaniH's Google Doc of Ranger Jeanne's & Mike Fitz' June 19, 2018 comments:' LaniH's Google Doc of Ranger Jeanne's & Mike Fitz' June 19, 2018 comments 'LaniH's June 19, 2018 Daily Summary :' Well THE day finally came and we were live!!! Not many bears seen but it still was an amazing day to see some views we haven't seen in loooong months. First bear seen was believed to be a subadult on top of the falls (video by BearNecessities). Second bear seen we got a better look at as she came close to the platform and ID was confirmed by Mike Fitz, it was 854 Divot (video by Martina). Cams also caught an eagle and a kingfisher. What will today bring...Only the bears know :) KNP Brooks Camp June 19. 2018 first day the cams become live pics Album 'Deanna DIttloff's (aka deelynnd's) June 19-23, 2018 Highlights Video:' Deanna Dittloff created this video of bearcam highlights for the first week of beacam season. This video covers June 19, 2018 - June 23, 2018 highlights.: